Former West Bromwich Albion forward Kevin Phillips has mixed feelings about the tiny possibility of his old side parting ways with Steve Bruce in the summer and pursuing ex-boss Tony Mowbray, speaking to West Brom News.

61-year-old Bruce has endured an underwhelming start to his tenure at The Hawthorns, being appointed in the early stages of February as he looked to turn the tide and fire the Baggies back into the promotion mix.

However, the ex-Newcastle boss won just one point from a possible 15 during his opening five matches in charge and although they endured a reasonably promising period in March, inconsistency ruined their chances of finishing in the promotion mix this season.

With this, some would deem Bruce's short time in the West Midlands as a failure thus far considering the calibre of players he has at his disposal, but he is now preparing for the summer period and has been given a vote of confidence by CEO Ron Gourlay this week.

One man Gourlay could target if he changes his mind is ex-Albion manager Mowbray, who is set to leave league rivals Blackburn Rovers at the end of the campaign despite taking the Lancashire side to new levels this season.

Despite his achievements at Ewood Park though, former Baggie Phillips believes Albion may be better off sticking with their current man at the helm for now.

He said: "It’s a tough one.

"I would be a little biased because I had two unbelievable years there with Tony. I think a lot of the supporters would be happy with that one, he’s done a good job at Blackburn.

"I’m in Bruce’s corner, he’s got as much experience at getting people out of that league, but if they were to take that clause up and go for Mowbray, I’ve been sceptical of people going back to a club where they’ve done well.

"He’s got the credentials and he knows the football club, so certainly, it wouldn’t go down as a bad option."

The Verdict:

The appointment of Bruce was a questionable one considering he had endured such a torrid spell at Newcastle and although there was a considerable amount of time between his departure from St James' Park and arrival at The Hawthorns, the 61-year-old may have benefitted from more time out of the game.

A huge amount of respect has to go to him and he will certainly want to prove people wrong - but big changes may be needed in the summer if they want to be competitive again with some of their first-teamers probably needing to leave.

Although it's not exactly all the players' fault, things have gone stale at Albion and this is the reason why a more radical overhaul is potentially needed than the one that's likely to take place in the upcoming months.

However, that isn't exactly in Bruce's control so he just needs to do the best job he possibly can, though it wouldn't be the worst move if Albion were to approach Mowbray instead because he has been exceptional at Ewood Park.

But at this stage, Mowbray seems to want to spend a small period of time away from the game and with West Brom's current boss being talked up by the CEO, the chances of this happening are very small.